


The fine art of overreacting

by LittleMissKnowItAll



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Can someone teach these boys to communicate? Thanks!, Declarations Of Love, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Idiots in Love, Love Confessions, M/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-14 14:35:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29543850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleMissKnowItAll/pseuds/LittleMissKnowItAll
Summary: The plan was simple, as it was the same as always. Just a quiet evening with some dinner and maybe a movie, a typical evening at the Diaz household for Buck. But when Eddie drops his guard and says more than he'd meant to, the evening takes a turn into angsty territory.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 336





	The fine art of overreacting

**Author's Note:**

> For some reason, I just couldn't shake this story until I wrote it. So, I wrote it.  
> And while it's definitely not perfect, I still hope you'll enjoy it.

It was February 18th, a normal day. A day like any other, nothing special about it. That's what Eddie thought when he left for work this morning. Now, he's not so sure anymore. Because now, Buck is sitting across from him at the dinner table, mouth hanging open, both their plates untouched. 

Eddie ran over the last few minutes in his head again...and again....Once more. _Okay, so he had messed up._

See, Eddie had realized he was falling for his best friend a while ago. And he had decided to keep it to himself, to not let it show. Preferably, he'd kept it inside until the end. That, or he'd made it known on a special occasion, with a romantic gesture, but only after being absolutely sure Buck felt the same way. 

Now, he had neither of those situations. He'd basically told Buck, so byebye option one. And he'd told him in a totally casual way on the super romantic, totally special day that is...February 18th. _Fuck_

He ran through the last minutes one more time:

_Buck had made dinner, as Eddie was too busy packing Christopher's bag for his sleepover._

_After Christopher had been waved off, Eddie'd helped set the table. As Buck had set down the last pan, Eddie came in with two bottles of beer. He put one next to Buck's plate, before dropping down in his own seat. "Smells good!", he'd said, before taking a swig of his beer._

_Sitting down opposite him, Buck had scoffed fondly, shaking his head. "Beer, really? I spend the day slaving away in the kitchen and you pair this lovely dish with beer?" Smiling, he picked up his own bottle to take a sip, the mock argument immediately losing all its power._

_Eddie had laughed at him, already filling up his plate. "I'll make sure to stock up on expensive champagne for next time, princess."_

_"Deal", Buck had said, taking the spoon from Eddie to fill up his own plate. He'd continued talking, joking about diamond studded plates and something to do with golden donuts, but Eddie couldn't really recall what exactly Buck'd been saying._

_He could fully remember the way Buck looked though. Happy, carefree, pink cheeks and a huge smile as he looked up from his now full plate. Pure happiness, his eyes shining like they always did when he truly smiled and Eddie could only think 'Yes, this feels right, this is where you belong'. So, his mouth had decided to help him out with that thought._

_"Move in with us."_

That was it, the end of the memory he'd run through about five times now. Buck was still staring at him, mouth now closed but eyes still wide and unsure. 

If Eddie had reacted quicker, he could've been able to turn this all into a joke, a continuation of their banter...maybe. Honestly, he was pretty sure his voice had already given away too much with those four simple words. 

Eddie sighed, softly, a sigh that turned into a humorless chuckle as he shook his head. "I...Damn, I really shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry, Buck. I..." he said, getting up and walking off. Buck had sat there, staring at him with an unreadable expression and Eddie just had to leave. So, he'd gotten up and fled to the kitchen. Not the most solid plan, as there was no way out of here and even if there was, this was Eddie's house. He couldn't just leave...Could he? No, that was ridiculous. He was a grown man, he could do this. 

Taking a few deep breaths, he turned back towards the door just in time to see Buck come in. For a moment, they just stood there, staring at each other, neither sure where they _really_ stood. 

As Eddie tried to come up with something to say, some way to do damage control, his brain kept supplying him with helpful comments like _'you messed this up'_ and _'he's leaving and not coming back'_

In the end, Buck was the first to speak. Hands nervously rubbing his jeans, never quite staying in the pockets, he took a step closer to Eddie before deciding against it, rocking back on his heels and staying put. "What did you mean by that?"

Shoulders sagging even further, Eddie let out a defeated "Buck..."

"No, Eddie, please. I need...I need to know what you meant" Though Buck started strong, the sentence ends on a broken sound, something barely above a whisper and Eddie just knows he needs to answer him. 

He lets out a slow breath, as if getting ready for the worst. "You know what I meant Buck. What more can I say? Other than, I'm sorry. Man, I fucked this up good, didn't I?" Another humorless chuckle leaves his mouth. 

As Buck breathes out a soft "Eddie", Eddie straightens his back, stepping closer and holding up a hand to silence Buck. "No, you know what? I'm not sorry. Had I planned on saying it like this? Definitely not. But I don't regret it. I only regret that it has to end like this. Yeah..For that I _am_ sorry."

Though Eddie would love nothing more than to look away, to crawl under the table and wait for the front door to close and the house to be cold and empty again, he can't seem to look away from Buck's face. 

Buck, whose face is going from sad to confused to...happy? Is that, is he laughing right now? Eddie feels his fists balling up, nails digging into the palm of his hand. He watches as Buck, still laughing, puts a hand to his forehead and shakes it a few times before opening his mouth. "You speak in riddles, you know that? And didn't you ever learn that it's not cool to answer a question with another question? God, you're infuriating sometimes" He says, a fond smile on his lips as he slowly walks further into the kitchen, closer to a now very confused Eddie.

"I come here, on my day off, to make us dinner and this is the thanks I get? A beer and an intens freak-out? Look, I can't say I was expecting that question nor the meaning behind it to come out of your mouth." Buck asks, now standing in front of Eddie, not quite touching him yet but certainly inside the other man's personal bubble. "But that's because you..." at this, he points his finger at Eddie "are notoriously bad with putting your feelings into words and definitely not because I didn't want to hear them."

Buck smiles again, the finger still pointing at Eddie now being joined by it's friends as Buck's hand moves to Eddie's shoulder, gripping it softly as to not scare him. "So forgive me for asking, Eddie, but I had to know if you meant it...like that? I kinda still do, as you never really answered my question, come to think of it. So?" he finishes with a slight tilt of his head. 

For some reason, that head tilt is the thing that breaks Eddie's resolve. Buck's words, his comforting hand on Eddie's shoulder, the fact he hadn't left nor punched Eddie, they slowly but surely broke down Eddie's armor until there was nothing left. Until there was a head tilt, a soft smile, pink cheeks and way too much unspoken words. So, Eddie spoke. "This is your home, Buck. I want...No, I need this to be your home. Because it's not truly my" he smiles, actually smiles as he thinks back to Christopher and Buck doing homework together at their kitchen table", _our_ home unless it's your home too. Does that clear things up for you?" He says, softly punching Buck's shoulder with newfound confidence. 

The smile on Buck's face gets even wider, the hand on Eddie's shoulder slowly slipping down to his upper arm, staying there as he hears Eddie's breath hitch. "Almost. I mean, would this be a roommates situation or..." 

Buck doesn't get to finish that sentence, his cheeky voice smothered by Eddie's lips crashing onto his. Though it starts rough, the kiss turns sweet and soft almost instantly. 

Breaking apart, Eddie looks up at Buck. "Is that a yes, Mr Buckley?"

Smiling, Buck drops a quick kiss to his mouth before tilting his head again, "Did you really think I'd ever say no? Eddie, I wore my good shirt and cooked dinner, that is now cold, I might add, for you on our night off, when I knew Christopher wouldn't be here.". He looks at Eddie with his "do the math" face and Eddie can't help but drop his head forward onto Buck's shoulder for a second, chuckling. "Okay, so it appears I may have overreacted."

"Just a bit", Buck whispers fondly, his lips now ghosting over Eddie's. "You're lucky I love you."


End file.
